The past two plus years have gone so quickly with adjusting to the Covid situation and employing strategies to ensure our members have received on-going training and that they maintain the required high integrity and responsibility essential to training in our mil CQC/MSD as civilians.
We returned from conducting a test course at a newly established facility in Thailand to complete preparation for the annual Australasian course at Camp Todd March 2020 and were midway through the course when the first lockdown was came into effect. https://cqctimes.com/todd-group-self-defence-school-thailand-international-hq-inaugural-course/
Since then we have managed to conduct all scheduled courses even if they had to be rescheduled.
Daily training information and programs were provided to all members by email throughout the first lockdown and training was re-established as soon as it was possible.
Communication was maintained with our rank and file as communication is most important with all aspects of operating a professional training organisation.
When communication breaks down or is discontinued momentum and direction is lost and the chain of command is no longer the constant source of information, advice or instruction.
Constant continuation of training provision and communication is important as leaders in our field of military self-defence and close quarters combat and as the sole providers of our European MSD/CQC training packages not only in New Zealand but globally.
We identify, train, test and prove exponents one by one under a regime of small group courses of instruction.
On our major courses of instruction military or civilian we have instructor to exponents ratio’s that enable highest level training provision.
Major courses of between 100 and 260 exponents have the requirement of one instructor per 14 exponents and we are the only private training providers in NZ that can provide such numbers of mil CQC qualified instructors.
Our long history at HQ as well as our national and international depot instructors and global trade craft allies enables us to be able to conduct at Todd Group HQ or camp Todd training as well as export courses throughout New Zealand and overseas, even small group training courses.
It is not unusual to provide individual tuition training to clients on the other side of the world.
During the pandemic the requests for such training have been constant.
Our MO as leading specialist training providers in our field is to do our utmost to conduct every confirmed course of instruction.
The Covid situation has made training provision more difficult but not impossible and we have remained determined, flexible and innovative with training provision that has led to every scheduled and confirmed course of instruction being conducted to date.
Unfortunately with border closures and travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, our HQ exported international courses have had to be put on hold. Fortunately dedicated and committed depot instructors have been able to provide continued training to our serious global exponents.
We have maintained our international training facilities and staff and are ready and geared up to recommence our international circuits as soon as conditions are favourable.
We are also expanding our nationwide training provision and our Todd Group Dunedin HQ and Camp Todd courses and training.
The demand for training has continued throughout the last two years and we are looking forward to recommencing our international courses circuit later this year. www.toddgroup.com
Training enquiries advice and consultancy and answering questions in relation to specific skills and means of threat neutralisation have increased by considerable.
While other training providers ceased to exist we maintained our full time commitment to our trade-craft as this is our commitment, not just our job or hobby.
We have always understood the importance of making every effort to ensure training provision is continued as this is the basis of future proofing.
Many of the exponents we attract want to learn our elite European military self-defence and military armed and unarmed combat from the source under the instruction or command of an elite mil close combat Master Instructor.
They understand the meaning of never settling for less than the best and most proven means of self- protection and close combat capabilities when it comes to protecting their lives.
There can be no part-time or less than fully committed training provision mentality by highly qualified tradecraft training providers when it comes to your understudies life or death realities in a close quarters actions on.
Providing wide ranging specialist training courses of instruction under such difficult times has increased the planning and advance work for upcoming courses conducting by considerable.
Always having a plan B and being able to reschedule courses is something as full-time tradecraft specialists we are able to do along with being able to export courses at short notice.
The last two years has enabled more time to be spent on projects as well as on course promotion and recruiting.
Tactics and skills development at HQ have been continuous ensuring our understudies are receiving the most current and proven training.
The high standards of exponents and proponents is most satisfying and in a trade-craft that continually evolves the most current committed and dedicated exponents and proponents are those that are armed with the most current primary proven skills capabilities.
The calibre of exponent’s competency has not only been maintained throughout the pandemic but has increased.
The pandemic has identified those that are dedicated and committed especially the types that have both the smarts and do not let external distractions or fears interfere with their training continuation.
Especially under the disruption of the pandemic lockdowns the importance of a maintained profile and training provision has been paramount. The expansion of recruiting promotions and budgets have greatly been increased even though our international courses circuits have had to be put on hold.
It very much comes down to those that are looking for high level mil CQC/MSD training expect highly qualified military close combat trade craft training instructors, fully equipped top training facilities and continuous training schedules that enable them to achieve their training objectives.
We have managed to conduct all intakes, all NZ courses and are now gearing up to conduct a full schedule of courses for 2022 including a small group dual country close personal protection course and an all phases of training course in our international hub country of Thailand before the end of the year.
Products and resources have been in increased demand throughout the pandemic and additional resources will be added to existing product lines soon.
While much of our tradecraft training content is restricted to current members that have the required rank, a considerable amount of training equipment including training manuals of a basic level is available to non-member enthusiasts.
Every additional hour available during the lockdown has been utilised to the maximum and all the efforts of the HQ training team have enabled us to deliver all confirmed scheduled courses and training.
Our dedicated recruiting marketing and promotional team have been kept busier than ever and their efforts and expertise have proven effective.
There definitely hasn’t been any downtime for us at HQ and as we come out of this pandemic we will be extremely busy through the work done over the past two years that has generated new enthusiasts and training locations through our maintaining of our commitment and dedication to our specialist tradecraft.
While we have always been flexible and innovative with our means and methods of training provision we have never allowed anything to stop our commitment to our training delivery over our entire 95 years.
During the lockdown we have had time to look at changes to joining and membership to ensure we do our best to make sure members conduct themselves responsibly and maintain the required integrity that comes with the privilege of training in our mil CQC as civi’s.
Individual CQC code of conduct contracts for every course applied for is one such initiative as well as maintaining the expected respect for the chain of command.
Former members having to be accepted for re-joining and get back to a current status before re-phase testing is another introduced initiative to ensure standards are maintained.
We have made the best of increased time availability to complete projects and undertake promotions initiatives to identify future top exponents, proponents and instructors.
